Sports

Aaron Finch labels English cricket a ‘circus’ after Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s exits and says Australians are ‘laughing’ | Cricket News

Published

2 minutes ago

July 23, 2026

Former Australia batter Aaron Finch likened England’s recent coaching and captaincy upheaval to a ‘circus’ and says many Australians have been watching things unfold from afar ‘giggling’ at their old rivals.

Ben Stokes sensationally announced his retirement from international cricket during his side’s final Test match of their series defeat by New Zealand in June, with head coach Brendon McCullum later dismissed as head coach of the red-ball side.

The Test side are therefore set for major changes amid a slump in form, having lost seven of their last nine matches.

Speaking to the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, Finch, who captained Australia in both white-ball formats, questioned England’s stubbornness during their recent tour Down Under, as well as some of the decisions being made by England’s hierarchy.

“You never want to see players feel like they’re being forced out or coaches be sacked,” Finch told Sky Sports Cricket’s Michael Atherton. “But the way that it’s all panned out, it has been a little bit like a circus.

“When you look back to the preparation of the Ashes, I thought, not having a warm-up game for whatever reason. Everyone’s got their opinion on why they weren’t able to have one at the WACA, which is the closest replication you can have to Perth Stadium.

“And almost shutting everybody out saying: ‘No, we know best. We know what we’re doing. We’re here to win’.

“And then for it to fall apart like that, to see where it goes in the New Zealand series, where New Zealand played traditional hard Test Cricket and found a way to grind out a win.

“They go on and win a series, which is hard to do away from home. Every team says that winning away from home is their biggest challenge.”

McCullum and Stokes’ departures will bring an end to the ‘Bazball’ era, which has seen England exhibit a brash brand of cricket that has raised eyebrows among some.

“I think that when you look at it as a whole, you say there’s been a few decisions that, whether it be style of play, shot selection, decisions behind the scenes, as an Australian, you sit back and giggle a little bit because at different times we’ve been in that position as well. But you can understand it,” Finch added.

Atherton also asked Finch whether any of his Australia teams had ever been subject to a curfew.

“Never,” he replied. “If there was, that would have been played out in black and white.

“It’s hard to know exactly what is going on without being inside those four walls.

“So you can speculate all you want, but from the outside, it has looked like a bit of a mess. So they’re in this tricky situation now where they’re trying to obviously find a Test coach.”

Sports

Arsenal sign goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez after expiration of Real Madrid contract

Published

10 minutes ago

July 23, 2026

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Arsenal have signed Spain goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez from Real Madrid following the expiration of her terms at the Liga F side.

The 27-year-old’s contract in north London runs for three years with an option of an additional 12 months.

Rodriguez joined Madrid in 2020 upon the women’s team’s formation, became club captain in 2025 and holds the record for the most appearances (215).

The Spain international will strengthen Arsenal’s goalkeeping options, competing alongside Daphne van Domselaar, Anneke Borbe and promising new Danish 18-year-old signing Isabella Damm.

Van Domselaar, predominantly Arsenal’s No 1 since moving in 2024 from Aston Villa, has struggled with injury and was not selected for the Netherlands squad in May due to scheduled surgery. She had a knee operation earlier this summer and is now progressing well.

The Netherlands international started 14 Women’s Super League games last season and, when she was absent, Borbe stepped up and proved her worth. Arsenal sustained multiple injuries in the goalkeeping department last year, with Manuela Zinsberger sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament issue, and want to avoid a similar situation.

Van Domselaar struggled with injuries last term (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)

Rodriguez’s move follows the departures of Zinsberger and academy graduate Naomi Williams upon the expiry of their contracts, while Barbora Votíkova returned to Slavia Prague after her loan spell.

Rodriguez, born in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, won the Liga F Zamora Trophy — awarded to the goalkeeper with the league’s best goals-against record — in her debut campaign and again in the 2022-23 season. She started in the youth ranks at CD Femarguin before joining Atletico Madrid in 2017 and Deportivo La Coruna in 2019.

“I’m so proud to join this great club,” Rodriguez said in a release on Wednesday. “Arsenal is one of the top clubs in the world and I’m really excited to be part of the team and take on this new challenge. I want to help us compete for trophies and make more history, together with our supporters.”

On the international stage, Rodriguez, who has 24 caps to her name, is challenging Cata Coll to be Spain’s No 1. Rodriguez was part of Spain’s 2024 Nations League and 2023 World Cup-winning squads. She started all three World Cup group games before Barcelona’s Coll played in the knockout stages.

In north London, the experienced shot-stopper joins fellow Spain team-mates Mariona Caldentey and new signing Ona Batlle. She becomes Arsenal’s seventh arrival of the transfer window.

“Misa is a top goalkeeper who has performed consistently at a high level for several years,” head coach Renee Slegers said in the release. “As well as her technical attributes, she has great presence and communication on the pitch and we believe she’ll be a strong addition to our goalkeeping unit, alongside Daphne, Anneke and Isabella.”

Sports

How to watch the 2026 3M Open: Streaming options for Round 1

Published

18 minutes ago

July 23, 2026

qasimgillani

July 22, 2026 11:14 pm EDT Updated

Golfers will head to Blaine, MN for the 2026 3M Open at the 7,431-yard, par-71 TPC Twin Cities, with $8.8M in prize money to be had. Kurt Kitayama is the defending champ at the tournament. Tune in to the opening round on Thursday, July 23 to find out who takes the first step to claiming this year’s top spot.

How to Watch the 2026 3M Open

3M Open odds

Scottie Scheffler: +275
Maverick McNealy: +2500
Kurt Kitayama: +2500
Hideki Matsuyama: +2800
Keith Mitchell: +3000
Jake Knapp: +3300
Max Homa: +4500
Corey Conners: +4500
McClure Meissner: +4500
Sungjae Im: +4500
Pierceson Coody: +4500
Jordan Smith: +5000
Doug Ghim: +5000
Samuel Stevens: +5500
Tony Finau: +5500
Gary Woodland: +5500
John Keefer: +5500
Michael Brennan: +6000
Jason Day: +6000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout: +6000
Emiliano Grillo: +6000
Max Greyserman: +6000
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen: +6000
Ben Kohles: +6600
Sudarshan Yellamaraju: +6600

3M Open Notable Pairings & Tee Times

8:29 a.m. ET, Hole 10: Hideki Matsuyama, Scottie Scheffler, Sungjae Im
8:18 a.m. ET, Hole 10: Corey Conners, Jake Knapp, Max Homa
1:44 p.m. ET, Hole 1: Gary Woodland, Maverick McNealy, Tony Finau
8:07 a.m. ET, Hole 10: Sudarshan Yellamaraju, McClure Meissner, Richard Hoey
7:45 a.m. ET, Hole 1: Rasmus Hojgaard, Mackenzie Hughes, Max Greyserman
2:06 p.m. ET, Hole 10: Austin Smotherman, Doug Ghim, Joel Dahmen
1:22 p.m. ET, Hole 10: Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Brice Garnett, Michael Kim
8:51 a.m. ET, Hole 1: Matt Kuchar, Michael Brennan, Brandt Snedeker
1:11 p.m. ET, Hole 1: Ben Silverman, Austin Eckroat, Pierceson Coody
7:45 a.m. ET, Hole 10: Taylor Moore, Vince Whaley, Lee Hodges

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

Photo: Hector Vivas, Maddie Meyer / Getty Images

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Sports

Will Lankshear completes permanent move from Tottenham to Middlesbrough

Published

25 minutes ago

July 23, 2026

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Tottenham Hotspur striker Will Lankshear has completed a move to Championship side Middlesbrough.

Lankshear has signed a five-year deal with his new club.

The Athletic reported in June that there was significant interest from Championship teams in the 21-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Oxford United in the second tier.

Lankshear recorded 11 goals and four assists in 44 appearances for Oxford, who suffered relegation back to League One. Among his notable contributions was the winning goal against relegation rivals West Bromwich Albion in a 2-1 win in February and a double against Sheffield Wednesday in the penultimate match of the season.

The England under-20 international was named Oxford’s young player of the year following his first full season in senior football, having spent the second half of the 2024-25 campaign on loan at West Brom, where he failed to score in 11 appearances.

“Middlesbrough is such a massive club over the years; I deem it to be a Premier League club,” Lankshear said, via Middlesbrough’s website.

“The project here really excites me. I can’t wait to get started and be part of the journey, and get this club back where it belongs.”

Lankshear played six times for Tottenham’s first team — three of which in the Premier League — scoring once, in the Europa League against Galatasaray in November 2024. He was later sent off in the match.

Middlesbrough missed out on promotion to the Premier League last season after a 1-0 defeat by Hull City in the Championship play-off final. Oli McBurnie scored the winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time to consign Boro to a 10th successive season in the second tier.

Boro were defeated by Southampton in the two-legged semi-finals, but were reinstated in the Wembley final after Southampton admitted to spying on other clubs’ training sessions, including Boro.

Middlesbrough had money to spend this summer following the departure of star midfielder Hayden Hackney to Everton in a deal which could rise to just under £25m ($33.3m) if all clauses, which are based on appearances, England selection and Everton’s qualification for European competition, are met.

Lankshear is the second striker to join Boro this month, after they completed a deal for Hull City forward Kyle Joseph. They have also signed attacking midfielders Myles Peart-Harris and Jeremy Sarmiento.